Welt retainer



March 4, 1941. H. M. coLDlTz ETAL WELT RETAINER FiledNOv. l, 1937 WW w Patened Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES VVELT RETAINER Heinrich Max Colditz and Otto Michalk,

Dresden,

Application November 1 In Germany 5 Claims.

In Welting soles on shoes, Welt holders have already been used for preventing the edge of the sole from being bent under the influence of the pushing pressure. The known Welt holders con- 5 sist usually of a profiled strip comprising one or several parts whch engage, in the manner of a wedge, the space between the Welt and the upper leather and are fixed to the shoe by the effect of springs or clamps or other fixing means. By means of Springs or clamps or other fixing means, arran'ged as in previously known constructions, it Was not possible for the Welt holder to be sufilcently secured on the shoe against displacement and yielding to the pressure o-f the pressing cushion, so that there was not sufficient protection against the undersirable bending of the edge of the sole.

According to the present invention, the arrangement for fixing the Welt holder so that it is free from objection is so chosen that the ends of the Welt holder are 'connected to a tensioning means which is tensioned towards the heel on the side below the shoe in a clirection oblique to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. The tensioning means may consist of a Wire, a string or the like which is, after it has been, tensioned, fixed preferably to the side of the steellenclosed in the shank of the shoe by a clamp, a pin, or the like. In this Way a pull is effected on the ends of the Welt holder which is directed backwards ololiquely towards the heel and attaches the Welt holder on its entire extension tightly against the shoe, even if the shank of the shoe is very strongly hollowed out, and is immovably fixed and 35 stretched during the whole welting process. Thus the Welt holder forms in its entire length a very effective counter block for the Welt While the sole is pressed. Furthermore, the Welt holder itself can be manufa'ctured in a very simple and cheap manner. It can be easily and quickly attached to the shoe and, above all, it can be used for shoes of quite different shapes and sizes without any further means.

The tensioning means for tensioning and fixing the Welt holder may be attached directly to the weltholder, e. g. to the ends of a Wire enclosed in the holder, forming hooks at its ends, or by means of separate intermediate members. The ends towards the heel of these intermediate members are advantageously riveted to the Welt holder and the free-ends toward the tip of the shoe, are releasably connected with the tensioning means. Thus it is achieved, that the intermediate members transfer the tensioning effect S5 to the Welt holder in the longitudinal direction Germany 1937, Serial No. 172,266 ctober 28, 1936 of the shoe as Well as across this direction and the ends of the Welt holder are especially tightly pressed into the hollowed out parts of the shank. The tensioning means which is attached to the free ends of the intermediate members or 5 immediately to the ends of the holder and which consists preferably of a thin stretching Wire is pushed during the pressing process into the leather and, after the sole has been welted as described, is separated from the' Welt holder and 10 pulled out from the side of the sole.

For stretching the tensioning means, preferably a stretching device is used which is actuated by a treadle. Advantageously, a steel band is connected to the treadle of the stretching device 15 and is provided With a hook having a slot, through which a staple or the like passes for fixing the stretched tensioning means.

In the ac'companying drawing an embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example: 20

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a shoe' to which a Welt holder is attached,

Fig. 1a illustrates another embodiment of the Welt holder,

Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan View of another 25 embodiment of the Welt holder,

Fig. 3 is a partial side View of the Welt holder and the stretching device,

Figure 3a is a view in elevation of a detail.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the shoe and Welt 30 holder according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a section according to the line A B of Fig. 1,

In the embodiment according to Figs. 1-5, the Welt holder consists of a strip of rubber 9 comprising an insertion of Wire 9'. At the ends of the Wire-insertion, the levers 5 are rigidly connected by means of rivets |3. The ends of the levers towards the tip of the shoe overlap the sides of the welt holder 9 by means of claws which are provided substantially at a right angle to the levers, Whereby the levers are secured against rotating and tilting relatively to the Welt holder (Fig. 5). However, the overlapping is effected in such a Way that the claws of the levers 5, and the holder 9, are adapted to slide freely one above the other within certain limits. Alternatively, it is possible to ychoose the profile of the claws and the Welt holder 9 in a manner different from that indicated in the drawings, e. g. it is possible for the lever to engage, with its free ends, a corresponding groove of the Welt holder.

According to Fig. 1a, the Welt holder consists in a jointed chain, the members 2! of which are connected by bolts and the section of which corresponds to the holder 9 illustrated in Fig. 5.

The holder according to Fig. 2 is only provided with one lever 5 at the outer shank of the shoe, whilst the inserted Wire of the welt holder 9 forms at its other end a hook B' which lies in front of the very much hollowed out inner shank.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the Welt holder in its finally attached position. In this position the two levers 5 or the lever 5 and the hook 6' respectively, are connected on the other side of the welt holder by a steel wire 1, the eyes of which are hooked by means of projections 6 of levers 5, or within the hooks 6' respectively. This steel Wire, after it has been tensioned tightly, is fixed by means of a staple 8 provided on one side of the steel insertion 4 on the shank insertion made of wood or pressed material.

What we claim is:

1- A welt holder for shoes which are to be worked on welting sole presses and comprising a flexible element wedge-shaped in cross section to engage between the welt and the upper leather of the shoe to wedge` the same apart, said element being adapted to extend around the toe and rearwardly along the sides of the shoe, said element having rearward extensions at its ends, a bell crank lever constituting an intermediate member and having a lateral arm attached to one extension and a forwardly extending arm pressing' against the outer face of said element forwardly of the point of attachment, a flexible strand having an end attached to said forwardly extending arm and its other end connected to the remaining end of said element, whereby said strand effects inward and rearward stress on said element upon the strand being centrally flexed toward the shoe heel.

2. The device of claim 1, characterized by having the last mentioned end of the flexible strand connected to the last mentioned end of said element by a second intermediate member of bell-crank form.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1, Wherein the intermediate member at the end toward the heel is journaled to the welt holder, the end of the intermediate member toward the tip of the shoe being free of direct connection with the welt holder, and the free end of the intermediate member being detachably connected to the tensioning device.V

4. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein the intermediate member and the outer edge of the welt holder slidably overlap.

5. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein the free ends of the intermediate member terminate in a claw and overlap the outer edge of the welt holder.

HEINRICH MAX COLDITZ. OTTO MICHALK. 

